Shoe stiffener conditioning machine



Juiy 19, mm. 5 R E 1,867,594

SHOE STIFF'ENER CONDITIONING MACHINE Filed Jan. 25, 1.929

the toe portion of Patented July 19, 1932 EDGAR E. ROWE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIO, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COR- PORATION, OF EATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY snoii srIrrnnun CONDITIONING MACHINE Application filed January T his invention relates to wetting machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for wetting a shoe stiffener with a solvent liquid.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is common to employ toe stiifeners made of fabric impregnated with a stiffening substance and to wet such stiffeners with a solvent for the stiffening substance before placing ordinary procedure with such a toe stiffener is to soften it with the liquid solvent, place it in position in the toe portion of the upper of a shoe and conform it with the upper to the last during the pulling over and lasting of the upper. Nhen the solvent has evaporated, there results a hard, resilient box toe. A stiffener of the type referred to above is disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,256,240 granted February 12, 1918,

upon an application filed in the name of Stanley P. Lovell, the illustrated stiffener consisting of a fabric base impregnated with celluloid which may be softened by treatment with a mixture of alcohol and acetone.

It is desirable that such a stiffener should be thoroughly wet with the solvent but that it should not carry any excess of the solvent when it is incorporated in the upper of the shoe. In other words there should be present in the stiffener when it is incorporated in the shoe just enough solvent to soften the stiffener to the proper degree; and, in order to get stiifeners into the condition described above it has been common to dip them by hand in a solvent and then allow the surplus liquid to drain away.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a machine by the use of which stiifeners may be rapidly and uniformly treated so as to provide them with the proper amount of softening liquid.

According to one feature of the invention there is provided a pair of cooperatingrolls to which liquid is supplied and between which the stiffener is passed, said rolls being pressed firmly toward each other and having operative faces of deformable material. In the illustrated machine the rolls which are covered with thick felt are arof shoes. The

, firmly together,

wetting of the stiffener.

as, 1929, Serial No. 335,107.

ranged one above the other, the lower roll dipping into liquid in a receptacle. of the lower roll, which is driven, is stationary but the axis of the upper roll is movable toward the lower roll and is strongly urged toward the lower roll by springs so that the felt-covered rolls are pressed firmly together. When the lower roll is rotated, the upper roll is rotated in the opposite direction by reason of its contact with the lower roll; and, due to the fact that the rotating rolls are pressed a considerable quantity of liquid accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls; When a stiffener is presented to the machine it passes first through the accumulated liquid, in which it is progressively immersed, and then between the rolls by which the surplus liquid, due to the immersion, is progressively removed. The treated stiffener is, therefore, delivered in proper softened condition but, without surplus liquid upon itssurface.

It is desirable'that the accumulated liquid be of a quantity sufiicient to ensure thorough accordance with another feature of the invention a table for facilitating presentation of the stiifeners is provided which extends close to. the periphery of the lower roll in position to receive and hold upon that portion of it which is adjacent to the rolls a portion of the liquid which accumulates. In the illustrated machine this table is inclined downwardly toward the lower roll, and its ends are provided with walls'which help to hold the accumulated liquid and to ensure that a suiiicient quantity of it shall accumulate.

The treated blank is received upon a platform at the rear of the rolls; and in order to facilitate the picking up of this limp and somewhat sticky blank, the platform, according to another is provided witha rib to hold one end of the blank in raised position so that the blank may readily be grasped.

I hese and other features of the invention including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will be described as The axis feature of the invention,

embodied in an illustrated machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawm Fig. 1 is a perspective of a machine in which the present invention is embodied,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the machine, and

Fig. 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the machine.

The machine comprises a receptacle 3 for a softening liquid 5. F astened across the receptacle above the level of the liquid are cross-bars, one of which is shown at 7, in suitable alined bearings in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 9, said shaft extending out through one end of the receptacle and having fast to the protruding end a pulley 11 to which rotation may be imparted by a elt (not shown). Fast upon this shaft is a roll 13 having a comparatively thick cover of deformable absorbent'material 15 such as felt. This roll dips into the liquid 5 and is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2.

Cooperating with the lower roll 13 is an upper roll 17 which is also felt-covered. This roll is fast to a shaft 19 the ends of which are received between the parallel arms of forked upright members 21, 23 which are fast at their bases respectively to the cross-bars, one of which is shown at 7. Inasmuch as these forked members and their associated parts are substantially alike only one of them will be described in detail. The arms of the forked member 21 are held from springing apart by a rectangular collar 25 held in place by screws 27, the collar 25 serving also to retain in place an elongated block 29 which is vertically adjustable in the upright arms of the fork, the block being held in adjusted vertical position by screws 31 which are threaded respectively through the arms of the fork and abut against the block. The elongated block 29 has a vertical bore into the lower end of which extends from below the stem 33 of a bearing block 35 which has a concavity in its under side to receive the shaft 19. Located in the bore in the elongated block 29 and resting upon the top of the stem '33 is a coiled spring 37; and threaded into the upper end of the bore is a screw 39. lVith this construction the elongated block 29, and its corresponding block 129 (Fig. 1) may be adjusted down or up to cause the upper roll 17 to be pressed with more or less force against the lower roll. In any case the pressure is suflicient to cause the upper roll to be rotated by the lower roll as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the rolls rotating in opposite directions.

In order to increase the amount of the accumulation of liquid at one side of the bite of the rolls as well as to provide means for presenting a stiffener to the rolls, a table 41 is fastened to the cover 43 of the receptacle, this table being inclined downwardly toward the lower roll 13 and extending close to the periphery of that roll in the locality in which the upper part of that roll extends up through an opening in the cover 43 of the receptacle. Part of the liquid which accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls thus accumulates upon the margin of the table which serves to prevent the escape of the liquid, the amount of liquid which accumulates bein thus greater thanit would be were the table not present. In order to aid in maintaining this liquid upon the table, the ends of the table are bent up, as shown, to provide end walls 45.

hen a stiffener 100 is passed through this accumulation of liquid and delivered at the rear of the rolls, it is limp and somewhat sticky so that, if it were delivered flat upon the platform formed by the top of the cover 43 some difficulty might be experienced in readily Accordingly, a piece of sheet metal bent up to form arib 47 is riveted to the cover 43, as shown in Fig. 2, so that one end of the treated stiffener will be held raised from the cover. As indicated in Fig. 2, the rib 47 extends in a direction substantially parallel to the rolls.

The liquid which is used is commonly a volatile one; and in order to prevent any considerable amount of the fumes from escaping, the upper roll is nearly enclosed in a cylindrical shield 49, the lower portion of the shield being cut away to permit the stitfeners to pass between the rolls.

The bearing blocks for the shaft of the upper roll are adjusted so as to cause the upper roll to press against the lower roll with a force sutlicient to deform and somewhat compress the felt coverings of the rolls where they engage each other, as shown in Fig. 3. Power having been applied to the pulley 11, the pulling-over machine operator, or whoever is to assemble the treated stiffener-s in the uppers of shoes, feeds the stiffeners over the cause them to be treated with the softening liquid, and picks up the treated stitl'eners from the platform at the other side of the rolls.

As a stiffener 100 passes throughthe accumulation of liquid upon the table 41 and at the bite of the rolls, it is subjected to a progressive bath or immersion; and since the stiffener is very porous it is quite thoroughly wet. If it were merely immersed momentarily in this would come out of the bath with a considerable amount of surplusliquid adhering to its surface and would have'to be allowed to stand while the surplus liquid drained away. lVith the present inachine, however, the progressive immersion of the stiffener is followed immediately by a progressive embedding of the stifiener in the deformable, somewhat compressed felt covering of the rolls, and more or less of a squeezing and absorbing action so that the treated stifiener emerges from the rolls containing sufficient liquid, but without any objectionable excess liquid upon its surface. It may thus immediately be placed in a shoe upper.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodied in a particular machine, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine which has been shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of cooperating rolls the outer portions of which consist of deformable material, yielding means for urging one of the rolls toward the other, means for supplying liquid to the rolls, whereby upon rotation of the rolls liquid accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls and a blank passed through this liquid and be tween the rolls is progressively immersed in the liquid and then progressively embedded in the deformable means for preventing the escape of the liquid which accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls, thereby increasing the accumulation of such liquid. 7

2. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of co-operating rolls the outer portions of which consist of deformable absorbent material, means for supplying liquid to the rolls, yielding means for urging one of the rolls toward the other, whereby upon rotation of the rolls liquid is squeezed out of the absorbent material and accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls and a blank passed through this liquid and between the rolls is progressively immersed in the accumulated liquid and then progressively embedded in the deformable material of the rolls, and means co-operating with one of said rolls for preventing the escape of the liquid which accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls, thereby increasing the accumulation of such liquid.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a receptacle for liquid, a roll adapted to take liquid from the receptacle, a cooperating roll, yielding means for urging one of the rolls toward the other, said rolls being so constructed and arranged that the rotation of one of the rolls in one direc tion will effectrotation of the other roll in the opposite direction as work passes between the rolls, means for rotating one of the rolls and thereby effecting rotation of the rolls in opposite directions whereby liquid accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls, and a table located in position to direct a blank to the accumulated liquid, the table extending close to the periphery of the roll material of the rolls, and.

which takes liquid from the receptacle, in position to receive upon it part of the liquid which accumulates adjacent to the bite of the rolls.

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a receptacle for liquid,

a roll adapted to take liquid from the receptacle, a cooperating roll, yielding means for urging one of the rolls toward the other, said rolls being so constructed and arranged that the rotation of one of the rolls in one direction will effect rotation of the other roll in the opposite direction as work passes between the rolls, means for rotating one of the rolls and thereby efiecting rotation of both rolls in opposite directions whereby liquid accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls, a table located in position to direct a blank through the accumulated liquid, and walls at the ends of the table to aid in holding part of the accumulated liquid upon the table. I

5. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a receptacle for liquid, a lower roll arranged to dip into the liquid, an upper roll, yielding means for urging the upper roll toward the lower roll, said rolls being so constructed and arranged that the rotation of one of the rolls in one direction will effect rotation of the other roll in'the opposite direction as work passes between the rolls,- means for rotating one of the rolls and thereby effecting rotation of both rolls whereby liquid accumulates at one side of the bite of the rolls, and a table located in position to direct a blank through the accumulated liquid, the ends of the'table having raised portions to aid in holding part of the accumulated liquid upon the table.

6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a pair of rolls, a receptacle containing liquid into which one of the rolls dips, said rolls being so constructed and arranged that the rotation of one of the rolls in one direction will effect rotation of the other roll in the opposite direction. as work passes between the rolls, meansfor rotating one of the rolls and thereby effecting rotation of both rolls in opposite directions so that a blank presented to the bite of the rolls will be fed between them and treated with the liquid, a platform to receive the treated blank, and a rib extending in a direction substantially parallel to the rolls on the platform to hold one end of the treated blank raised from the platform.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' EDGAR E. ROWE. 

